Ex-Israeli spy chief opposes Israeli attack on Iran

Dagan said that he thought the United States should attack
if it’s needed, warning that an Israeli strike would ignite a regional war.

He also called the Iranians “rational,” a line that U.S.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey also used last month, which led to
some criticism from Republicans.

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“Not exactly our rationale, but I think that he [Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] is rational,”
Dagan told “60 Minutes.” “No doubt that the Iranian regime is maybe not exactly
rational based on what I call Western thinking, but no doubt they are
considering all the implications of their actions.”

Dagan last year said that an Israeli strike against Iran was
“the stupidest idea,” comments that clashed with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dagan’s “60 Minutes” interview comes the weekend after Netanyahu
traveled to Washington to meet with President Obama. Netanyahu told the
pro-Israel Jewish lobby AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, that
time was running short for Israel to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

President Obama urged Netanyahu to hold off on an attack,
pushing for time to let sanctions against Iran take effect. Republicans
criticized Obama at AIPAC for showing a divide between the two countries and
for not taking a stronger line on Iran.

Dagan has been said to be behind the attacks on Iran’s nuclear
scientists, as well as the cyberattacks that malfunctioned Iran’s nuclear
facilities. He said that there is time to wait — as long as three years — before an
attack would be necessary.

He warned that an Israeli strike on Iran would lead to retaliation,
and would only delay — not stop — Iran’s nuclear program. He said there are
estimates that Iran could retaliate with as many as 50,000 missiles toward
Israel.

“It will be a devastating impact on our ability to continue
with our daily life. I think that Israel will be in a very serious situation
for quite a time,” Dagan said.

“We are going to ignite, at least from my point of view, a
regional war,” he said. “And wars, you know how they start. You never know how
you are ending it.”